Just for the record, here are 3 excerpts from trade articles we believe are relevant to the merger review.
1. “Ad networks given last chance to question Google-DoubleClick deal” [NMA Magazine (UK). 13.09.07]
British ad networks have expressed strong concerns to the EU over the $3.1bn (£1.53bn) Google buyout of ad serving giant DoubleClick. As the deadline for responding to the European Commission’s Directorate on Competition draws near, the industry warned that there would be problems with the merger…Networks have responded to consultation from the Commission about any problems they have with the merger deal, announced in April. This is the last formal way for companies to express their concerns with the merger, although some remain cynical as to whether it will make any difference.
Phil Nott, sales director at Adrevenue, said networks should still send through their objections. “People have accepted this is going through too easily. If they knew they could send in their views and get a chance to block it, then maybe more would speak up about their concerns.”
2. Do Home Pages Have a Place in Web 2.0’s Future? Advertising Age. Oct 1, 2007.
“The report, out today, will serve as a “sanity check” for some early Web 2.0 adopters and technophiles. And, he said, “for more traditional marketers, there’s a whole new world we have to introduce them to.” One of the most surprising things the team found was how many people are starting their online shopping with search — more than 54% of the study’s panel, in fact. The idea that more consumers are coming to brand sites through the side door of search means search engines are starting to circumvent brands when it comes to online shopping. While a consumer looking for a pizza stone offline might drive to her nearest Williams-Sonoma, in the online world she’s more likely to just type the product name into Google and see what comes up.”
3. “Out of the Box: More Than Nine Billion Videos Served.” Brandweek. October 01, 2007
In July, Americans viewed more than 9 billion videos online, according to comScore’s Video Metrix report. Nearly 75% of U.S. Internet users watched an average of three hours of online video during the month.
Google Sites topped the July rankings with the most unique viewers and most videos viewed. Nearly 2.5 billion videos were viewed there (a 27% share of videos)—a full 2.4 billion at YouTube.com. Yahoo! Sites ranked second with 390 million (4.3%), followed by Fox Interactive Media with 298 million (3.3%) and Viacom Digital with 281 million (3.1%).
